Why you Should Always Consider Home Contents Insurance
Advice: Having home insurance to cover you in the event that your home is damaged or destroyed could keep a terrible situation from becoming a catastrophic one. It's bad enough to lose a home or beloved belongings.
I got a phone call at about 4pm last week, it was a friend who said he had been burgled during the afternoon and would I go across and help as his wife wanted to keep the children away. When I got there I couldn't believe the mess, the burglars only had one thing on their mind, what to take and how to get out of there in the quickest time. The drawers had been emptied on the floor, clothes had been pulled out of the wardrobes and glass cabinets had been broken for the contents inside even though the key was in the cabinet locks.
His wife had come home and found photos of their children spread across the garden, a side window smashed and even the garden ornaments broken in the haste to get away. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw and she had only been out of the house 30 minutes to pick the children up from school.
Advice: There are many things to consider when searching for home insurance. If you have a home-based business, you will need the maximum insurance coverage, since expensive equipment is often involved.
I called the police to report the event as in the commotion my friend had forgot to do this and already had started to move possessions and put them away. I felt we should leave things as they were for know, until the police came and did their bit and told us we could start tidying up. It was during this wait for the police that my friend opened up and explained that this year they had not renewed their home contents insurance. Suddenly an upsetting event pretty much became a tragedy. It had taken them years to build up what they had and now with only one wage coming in, it was unlikely to be back to normal within a short period of time.
Advice: Also, you will have the security of knowing that the things you have worked so hard to provide for yourself and your family can be replaced through your home insurance.
I asked, "why did you not renew you home contents policy", his reply was "we couldn't afford to". I wanted to say that they couldn't really afford not to, but the timing did not seem right.
The police came and went and we both new it was unlikely that anything could be done about it as no one had seen anything. Fingerprints were looked for and eventually we were allowed to start clearing up the mess including fixing the broken window. A few days later he told me that the hardest thing, was telling his children their why their favourite toys had been stolen and his wife picking up the family photos from the garden.
Even though they couldn't afford it, their insurance was renewed the next day and even though I new we were OK, I still checked anyway. Having someone rummage through your home, take your belongings and disturb your private castle is something that once you have been through will change your daily routines and priorities. But what must be worse is not being able to at least recover from the financial strain.
Advice: Flood and earthquake coverage is not covered under standard home insurance policies, much to the surprise of many homeowners. Additional coverage can be purchased through your home insurance agent, as well as through federal programs like the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
I have been fortunate enough not to have been through this trauma, but I have learnt from their mistake and without exception will be renewing my home and contents insurance on time every time.
Mark is webmaster for Home Contents Insurance and Breakdown Insurance and Best Breakdown Cover
